What’s in a brand?
How to create a unique brand identity (instead of copying someone else’s)
It’s easy to visually copy another company’s logo or another designer’s brand identity. I watch designers do it all the time and it was rampant at my university. I would see students pick apart designers’ work from Dribble or Behance and I’d watch them stick a new name on it and call it theirs. While this might be morally questionable, I will say copying other designers’ work is a great way to explore new techniques or explore new styles. Something that this misses out on however, is the meaning and the connection between the design and the brand’s mission.
A phrase that I was taught at university that has stuck by me is that “a brand is a group of perceptions in the mind of the beholder.” If you google “what is a brand” I highly doubt that this is even close to what most search results would include, yet this definition rings true most with the brands that stand for something, keep their promises to their customers, and have a well defined brand personality.
Yes, a brand identity may include a logo and specific typefaces or colours, but that’s often irrelevant if people know that your product is full of toxic chemicals — anyone remember Wrigley’s gum? Or involves back tracking on their moral compass. Ahem, Cadbury. A brand identity is the way that your company talks to its customers. This means visually, stylistically and through written text, at any point where the customer interacts with your product or service. Each touchpoint has a role to play in how customers see you and what kind of potential customers you are likely to attract. Brand strategy is the backbone of all of these components.
Something that not a lot of design schools teach is strategy. A brand strategy is a long term plan that includes specific goals and is directly related to your customers’ needs. It takes into account the emotions, demographics and psychographics of your customer base. A brand strategy includes: what your brand stands for, what your brand delivers to customers, the personality your brand conveys and your brand’s relationship with your customers.
What is your why? This is what your business stands for. Your why is the reason why your company wants to do what it does, do it well, and continue to do so. Your why could be the story of the brand, how it started, or the goal your company hopes to achieve. If you haven’t read Find Your Why by Simon Sinek before, I highly recommend it. As well as being a great resource for those looking to redefine their lives, it’s also a thought provoking read for finding out what your company really believes in, and finding its ‘why’.
A company that has seriously found its why is Nike. Even just saying their name brings a barrage of sporty images to mind, a sleek look, tight typography and their golden slogan “Just Do It”! They know who they are talking to, how they are talking, and exactly what they want to say.
Having a solid direction and strategy in place is the first step towards having a successful brand identity. Your brand ideally should be something that customers themselves will want to identify with. If your brand is misaligned, you may be sending out the wrong message or talking to the wrong audience. For example: if your intended customers are young singles in their early 20s, it’s highly unlikely they will be the right audience for your eco-friendly baby wear. On the other hand, if you know ecological impact is something that your customers care about in your products, it’s definitely something you should be considering representing in your brand.
Your brand tone is part of your brand identity, and helps define the personality you convey to your customers. It could be casual and friendly, comforting or formal and precise. It depends on the kind of product or service that you offer, and the relationship that you have and want to have with your customers. This is not something that you can achieve overnight. It takes time for customers to build up trust in your brand.
Finally you have the visual parts of your brand identity, you can’t just have a good story, you also need the right visual identity to showcase who your company is. Visual identity includes: colours, logos, typefaces and stylistic choices as well as including the platforms you use and the products that you sell. Keep in mind your tone and your audience when you are thinking about your visual identity.
Brand strategy and brand identity are not easy to realise and refine without some serious thought. Creating your brand shouldn’t be like a box of chocolates, you should always know which one you’re going to get. I believe that a brand identity should be crafted by both the designer and the stakeholders of the company. You are the one that has the most expertise when it comes to your company, you are the one that knows it inside and out. Your designer has a separate and complementary skillset. They know how to translate what you know into a set of real world design outputs that your customers can interact and connect with.
Good luck designing your unique brand identity!
You can check out my branding work over at: www.sophiabishopdesign.com/
